Talking about suicide prevention

As part of an ongoing conversation about mental health in Wyoming, and a wrap up for September's Suicide Prevention Month, Governor Mark Gordon took time last Thursday to visit Sweetwater County and sit down for an honest conversation about addressing suicide. 

"This is an area where Wyoming really has its work cut out for it," Governor Gordon said regarding the topic of suicide prevention. 

The event was hosted by Rock Springs Mayor Max Mickelson at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs, and was presented as an opportunity "to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and help families thrive." Gordon and Mickelson sat down with Dr. Kent Corso, a suicidologist, founder of PROSPER (Proactive Reduction of Suicide in Populations via Evidence-Based Research), and board certified behavior analyst, as well as Sweetwater County Resident April Thompson, a suicide loss survivor and an advocate for suicide awareness and prevention. 

Dr. Corso spoke first, and told the audience they would be having a "slightly different conversation" about suicide. He presented statistics, pointing out that the vast majority of people who think about suicide will never act on it, but that the proportions of the numbers aren't always talked about, so most people don't realize how common it is for people to consider suicide. He also said that suicide doesn't discriminate, and doesn't only affect those with nothing to live for or those with mental health issues. 

"Suicide is not a mental health problem, it's a social problem," Corso said. "It's no different than homelessness or poverty or racism... It's something that happens to people when they get completely overwhelmed."

Corso explained that most people who survive a suicide attempt will never attempt again. He said that he believes this is because those who attempt don't want to die, they just don't want to live with their pain. He also pointed out that 80% of people who are suicidal show some signs before an attempt, and said that suicide is a behavior, and behavior is driven by culture. Because culture drives behavior, it also influences what works in terms of prevention.

"Even the way people seek help differs based on where they live and what their culture is," Corso said. 

Corso pointed out that the west is driven by a cowboy culture and mindset, and the tendency towards independence and self-reliance can also be utilized for prevention. Some of the most successful help is self-help, according to Corso, and the more we give people resources, the closer we can get to "bending the curve."

Corso also stressed the importance of talking about suicide with children, especially since it's becoming more common among adolescents. While conversations about topics that could be perceived as morbid can be difficult, Corso pointed out that we teach our children about other serious and potentially dangerous things in order to protect them. 

"The earlier we start talking about suicide with our youth, the closer we get to bending the curve," he said. "The more we start having these conversations, the more they become normal." 

Corso encouraged the audience to think about suicide prevention in terms of how it can be applied to them personally, how it affects friends and loved ones, and how it impacts coworkers. We all need to help each other and look out for one another, he explained, adding that as much as the medical and mental health fields are working towards answers, they are only part of the solution. 

"Connectedness reduces suicide risk," Corso added. "The more we make our family, our job, our neighborhood a place where people want to be, the more we're working against suicide risk." 

April Thompson, the other speaker for the night, shared the devastating impact suicide has had on her life and her family. She is a loss survivor, having lost both her son Joshua and her nephew Billy to suicide. Joshua was 23 when he took his life in 2013, and Billy was 16 when he took his life in 2019. 

"I'm just someone living my own grief journey and navigating through the journey," Thompson said as she began to share her story. 

She explained that in the deepest part of her pain, when it was hard to even get out of bed, she decided that she could either slowly die herself or start fighting. 

"I chose to fight," Thompson said. 

Thompson chose to be there for her husband and two surviving children who were also suffering, and she has chosen to be a resource and mentor to others who have lost loved ones to suicide. She shares her story and her grief as a way to help others and offer them hope. She also wants to talk about suicide openly in order to end stigmas surrounding the topic. 

"If love had been enough, my son and nephew would still be here, and many others would still be here," Thompson said. "They knew that they were loved, but they also felt that they were a burden, and they wanted the pain to stop. They were not a burden. Our lives are not better without them. It is up to us as a community to have those difficult conversations, those hard conversations, to say the word suicide."

Thompson shared how grief has affected her family, and how they have all had to grieve in different ways. She also pointed out that healing isn't linear, and it takes time. But she also emphasized how both Joshua and Billy were more than just how they died, and their lives were defined by how they lived and how they loved. Thompson said she is learning how to accept that there is no one to blame, and learning how to allow hope and healing in her life. Still, she admitted that she puts on a figurative mask every day as she goes about her life to hide her grief and to protect both herself and others. 

"Tonight, I took that mask off," Thompson said. "I have shared my true self with all of you."

To those who were struggling, Thompson wanted to share the message that they are not a burden. And to those who were grieving, Thompson pointed out that there is hope. 

The rest of the event was structured as a casual but frank conversation among the participants regarding other questions related to suicide prevention, followed by a question and answer time with the audience. 

Governor Gordon specifically addressed "Wy We Care," his mental health initiative that is seeking to reform the Wyoming behavioral health system. He pointed out that Wyoming has limited resources, and it can be difficult to recruit professionals and have enough services available for everyone. He explained that his redesign was intended to acknowledge what can and can't be addressed, and to find ways to make changes in order to focus efforts on what can have the most meaningful impact. 

 "We're trying to take the fact that we have limited resources and apply them where they can best be used," Gordon said. 

 Governor Gordon and Mayor Mickelson also both spoke about the importance of addressing suicide prevention as a community and getting everyone working together to find solutions. 

"From my perspective, the fundamental issue we have is that we're all so disconnected," Mickelson said, pointing out how division over things like politics and beliefs can spread into being isolated and not being willing to help one another. 

"I think the most critical thing we can do is all of us in this room can stop being passive and become active in reaching out to people," Mickelson added. "We need to start the conversations and let people know we're going to support each other."

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help and resources are available, including the 988 hotline.